Latching mechanism and electronic device using the same

ABSTRACT

A latching mechanism to connect a cover to a housing includes a catch and a catching portion. The catch is disposed on the cover. The catch includes a latching end and a connecting portion. The catching portion is defined in the housing. The catching portion includes a first hole and a second hole communicating with each other. The first hole is larger than or substantially equal to the diameter of the latching end, the second hole is larger than the connecting portion and smaller than the latching end, and a joint of the first hole and second hole is smaller than the diameter of the connecting portion. The present disclosure further provides an electronic device including the latching mechanism.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to latching mechanisms andelectronic devices; and particularly to a latching mechanism forconnecting a cover to a housing of an electronic device.

2. Description of Related Art

With the development of wireless communication and informationprocessing technologies, electronic devices such as mobile phones,personal digital assistants (PDAs) and digital cameras are now in widelyused, and consumers may now enjoy the full convenience of hightechnology products almost anytime and anywhere. The electronic devicegenerally includes interfaces, for example, charge interfaces, universalserial bus (USB) interfaces, earphone interfaces. The interfaces areusually open the environment, thus dust and particles may accumulate inthe interfaces, subjecting the interfaces to damage by from externalobjects and substances. Therefore, a cover is needed to cover eachinterface.

A typical electronic device includes a housing and a cover to cover aninterface. The housing defines a slot to receive the cover, a latchinghole communicating with the slot, and a receiving slot larger than thelatching hole. The cover includes a latching end to extend through thelatching hole and engage in the receiving slot, thus connecting thecover to the housing. A step end connecting the latching hole and thereceiving slot resists the latching end to stop the latching end fromfalling off from the housing. When the interface needs to be used, e.g.,connected to an earphone or a data cable, the cover is rotated away fromthe interface around the latching end.

However, in order to retain the cover from falling off the housing, thelatching end of the cover has a size larger than the latching hole. Whenassembling the cover to the housing, the latching end should be squeezedinto and through the latching hole. Thus, assembling the cover to thehousing is complex, and the cover and housing may be damaged because oflarge force to squeeze the latching end.

Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, theemphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principlesof the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like referencenumerals designate corresponding parts throughout several views, and allthe views are schematic.

FIG. 1 is a partial, exploded, perspective view of one embodiment of anelectronic device including a housing and a cover.

FIG. 2 is a partial, assembled, cut-away view of the electronic deviceof FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of an electronic device 100 is shown.In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic device 100 is a mobilephone. The electronic device includes a housing 10, a cover 20, and alatching mechanism 30 to connect the cover 20 with the housing 10. Thenlatching mechanism 30 includes a catch 40 formed on the cover 20 and acatching portion 50 defined in the housing 10.

The cover 20 includes a covering portion 21, a protrusion 23, and thecatch 40. The catch 40 is formed at an end of the covering portion 21,and includes a latching end 41 and a connecting portion 43. The latchingend 41 has a cross-section larger than the connecting portion 43, andthe connecting portion 43 is disposed between the covering portion 21and the latching end 41. In the illustrate embodiment, the catch 40 iselastic and made of thermoplastic urethane (TPU). The catch 40 may be anindependent member fixed to the covering portion 21.

The housing 10 includes a sidewall 11 and defines a cavity 12. Thesidewall 11 defines a slot 13 for receiving the covering portion 21 ofthe cover 20. A bottom wall 15 is formed between the cavity 12 and theslot 13. The bottom wall 15 defines the catching portion 50 and anopening 19 spaced from the catching portion 50. The catching portion 50and the opening 19 are communicating with the slot 13 and the cavity 12.The opening 19 has a size and shape corresponding to the protrusion 23.The opening 19 is configured to allow an interface plug (not shown) toexpose to outside.

The catching portion 50 includes a first hole 51, a second hole 52, anda connecting hole 53 between and communicating with the first hole 51and the second hole 52. The first hole 51 has a diameter larger than orsubstantially equal to the diameter of the latching end 41, theconnecting hole 53 has a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter ofthe connecting portion 43. The second hole 52 has a diameter larger thanthe diameter of the connecting portion 43 and smaller than the diameterof the latching end 41. To ensure the catch 40 steadily rotates in thesecond hole 52, the diameter of the second hole 52 is preferred to beslightly larger than the diameter of the connecting portion 43.Alternatively, the diameter of the second hole 52 may equal to or evenbe smaller than the diameter of the connecting portion 43, so long asthe catch 40 can rotate in the second hole 52. A diameter of theconnecting hole 53 gradually decreases along a direction from the firsthole 51 to the second hole 52.

Referring to FIG. 2, to assemble the cover 20 to the housing 10, thecatch 40 extends in the first hole 51 of the catching portion 50 to makethe latching end 41 extend in the cavity 12 of the housing 10 and theconnecting portion 43 extends in the first hole 51. The cover 20 ispushed to slide in the catching portion 50 until the connecting portion43 slides into the second hole 52. In this state, the catch 40 cannotfall off from the housing 10 via the second hole 52 because the secondhole 52 is smaller than the latching end 41, and the catch 40 cannotslide into the first hole 51 because the connecting hole 53 is smallerthan the connecting portion 43. The protrusion 23 of the cover 20 ispressed into the opening 19 of the housing 10. Thus, the coveringportion 21 covers the slot 13 and the cover 20 is connected to thehousing 10.

When the plug in the opening 19 needs to be used, the cover 20 is pulledto force the protrusion 23 disengaging from the opening 19 and rotatedabout the catch 40 through an appropriate angle. As such, the plug inthe opening 19 is exposed.

The cover 20 can be assembled to the housing 10 by inserting the catch40 in the first hole 51 and then sliding the cover 20 into the secondhole 52. The operation is very easy and convenient because the firsthole 51 is larger than the cross-section of the latching end 41 and theconnecting portion 43. When the cover 20 is damaged, it is also veryeasy and convenient to change the cover 20 with another one.

In alternative embodiments, the second hole 52 may be not smaller thanthe cross-section of the latching end 41 of the cover 40, so long as adimension between two farthest points on a periphery of the second hole52 is smaller than a dimension between two farthest points of thelatching end 41. That is, relationship of the second hole 52 and thelatching end 41 prevents the catch 40 from falling off from the housing10 via the second hole 52. The connecting hole 53 may be omitted and thefirst hole 51 communicates and connects with the second hole 52. In thiscase, a joint of the first hole 51 and the second hole 52 is smallerthan the second hole 52. The bottom wall 15 may be elastic rather thanthe catch 40 being elastic.

Finally, while various embodiments have been described and illustrated,the disclosure is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Variousmodifications can be made to the embodiments by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure asdefined by the appended claims.

1. A latching mechanism, to connect a cover to a housing, the latchingmechanism comprising: a catch disposed on the cover, the catchcomprising a latching end and a connecting portion; a catching portion,the housing defining the catching portion, the catching portioncomprising first and second communicating holes; wherein the diameter ofthe first hole is larger than or substantially equal to the diameter ofthe latching end, the diameter of the second hole is larger than thediameter of the connecting portion and smaller than the diameter of thelatching end, and the thickness of the connection between the first holeand second hole is less than the diameter of the connecting portion. 2.The latching mechanism of claim 1, wherein the thickness of theconnection between the first hole and the second hole is a connectinghole between and communicating the first hole and the second hole, theconnecting hole is slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of theconnecting portion.
 3. The latching mechanism of claim 2, wherein adiameter of the connecting hole gradually decreases along a directionfrom the first hole to the second hole.
 4. The latching mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the catch is formed on the cover, and the connectingportion is between the latching end and the cover.
 5. A latchingmechanism, to connect a cover to a housing, the latching mechanismcomprising: a catch disposed on the cover, the catch comprising alatching end and a connecting portion; a catching portion, the housingdefining the catching portion, the catching portion comprising a firsthole communicating with a second hole; wherein the latching end iscapable of insertion in the first hole and incapable of insertion in thesecond hole, and the connecting portion is slidable from the first holeinto the second hole and rotatable in the second hole.
 6. The latchingmechanism of claim 5, wherein the joint of the first hole and the secondhole is a connecting hole between and communicating the first hole andthe second hole, the connecting hole is slightly smaller in width thanthe diameter of the connecting portion.
 7. The latching mechanism ofclaim 6, wherein a width of the connecting hole gradually decreasesalong a direction from the first hole to the second hole.
 8. Anelectronic device, comprising: a housing defining a catching portion anda cavity, the catching portion communicating with the slot and thecavity and comprising first and second communicating holes; a covercomprising a covering portion and a catch, the catch comprising alatching end and a connecting portion formed between the coveringportion and the latching end; and a latching mechanism comprising thecatch and the catching portion; wherein the first hole is larger than orsubstantially equal to the diameter of the latching end, the diameter ofthe second hole is larger than the width of the connecting portion andsmaller than the diameter of latching end, and a joint of the first holeand second hole is smaller than the diameter of the connecting portion,and the latching end of the catch is to be received in the cavity of thehousing.
 9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the joint of thefirst hole and the second hole is a connecting hole between andcommunicating the first hole and the second hole, the connecting hole isslightly smaller than the diameter of the connecting portion.
 10. Theelectronic device of claim 9, wherein a diameter of the connecting holegradually decreases along a direction from the first hole to the secondhole.
 11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the catch is formedon the cover, and the connecting portion is between the latching end andthe cover.
 12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the housingcomprises a sidewall and a bottom wall formed between the cavity and theslot; the sidewall defines a slot to receive the covering portion of thecover, and the bottom wall defines the catching portion.
 13. Theelectronic device of claim 12, wherein the bottom wall of the housingfurther defines an opening, the cover comprises a protrusion formed onthe covering portion, and the protrusion is engaged in the opening. 14.The electronic device of claim 12, wherein one of the bottom wall andthe catch is elastic.